For Better or For Worse

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

– Ephesians 5:21

America has transformed drastically over the last 100 years. There are the obvious changes — like the explosive growth of the suburbs, Walmart, and smartphones. And of course, our great-grandparents could never have imagined the Internet, Amazon, and artificial intelligence.

These transformations may be good or bad depending on your perspective. But one change that’s definitely negative involves our society’s attitude toward marriage and family. Just a few decades ago, news of a couple living together outside of marriage would have been scandalous in many communities. And in some states, it could lead to jail time for the offending parties!

What happens over time when a large segment of the population turns its back on committed marriage? With so called “no-fault” laws and the literal promotion of adultery in popular culture, it’s no wonder that over 40% of marriages these days end in divorce. It’s also no surprise that so many people now believe that marriage isn’t even worth the trouble. Living together has become a rational option. And one byproduct is today’s skyrocketing rates of out-of-wedlock births — now reported to exceed 40%.

The common denominator is that society has largely rejected Biblical values like marriage as well as the companion concepts of mutual sacrifice, intentional time, and habitual grace. Worse still is that too many people have refuted God and his teachings entirely — the ones he gave us for experiencing meaningful, fulfilled lives. What were once considered clear, black-and-white issues of right and wrong have blended over the decades into murky shades of gray. 

To many modern-thinking couples, living together without strings attached is a more-palatable and tolerant lifestyle choice. Moreover, they demonize words like commitment and accountability — the biblical hallmarks of marriage that demand responsibility, faith … and ultimate dependence on a much greater Power. 

The God who created us, and wants only the best for us, has a radically different notion about marriage between men and women. Let’s remember that marriage is a gospel witness. And as we read in Matthew 19:6, Jesus provides this familiar explanation for it: 

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

What If?

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

– Mark 16:6-7

Several years ago, a well-known insurance company ran a series of TV commercials that asked viewers to ponder a simple — yet profound — question: What if?

• What if you get sick and can't work?
• What if you get married and have triplets?
• What if you die and your family can't live without your lost income?

These commercials were effective reminders that real-life issues have real-life implications. And if you're not prepared (such as with the right insurance coverage), you might have something to fear. After all, millions of people each year really do suffer costly illnesses, injuries, and other setbacks.

Here's another consideration: Unless Jesus returns during our lifetimes, we’re all guaranteed a date with death because the mortality rate is 100%. And if we check the news headlines, we'll encounter another unpleasant reality: Society is plagued by violence, disease, and injustice. But while Believers like you and me aren't immune from these issues, we do have an answer to the uncertainties that grip so many who don't know Jesus as their Savior. It's his supernatural peace that defies all human understanding:

"I give you peace, the kind of peace that only I can give," Christ assures us in John 14:27. "It isn't like the peace that this world can give. So don't be worried or afraid."  

Those insurance commercials make a valid point: We do indeed live in a world of what-ifs. But Christ-followers have nothing to fear because God is — and always has been — in control in every situation. Even death has lost its sting because Jesus willfully died on the cross to pay the penalty for our many sins and failures. And because of his resurrection from the grave, he also fulfilled centuries-old Bible prophecies to prove his claims as being the Son of God. His triumph over death, which we celebrate each year on Easter, means that we have eternal hope. And it's through our simple faith in him that the what-ifs of life become fear-nots:

“He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” Jesus tells us through John’s gospel. “And whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Servant Leader

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

– Mark 10:43-45

Deafening Silence
Jumbo Shrimp
Civil War
Servant Leader

What do these figures of speech have in common? They’re all oxymorons — rhetorical devices that use contradictory terms for effect. And if you think about them for a second, they don’t make sense. But for whatever reason, the words mesh perfectly to communicate the idea.

The Bible reveals Jesus as one who always made his point with great effect, particularly to those willing to put his message into action. But instead of linking a few opposing words or phrases, God’s only Son turned entire concepts on their heads to reinterpret long-held notions about what holds true value. For example, consider his admonition to those seeking greatness:

“Whoever is the greatest should be the servant of the others. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down,” Jesus warns. “But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.”

This, of course, flies in the face of society’s “Looking-Out-for-#1” perspective. After all, how can you make it to the top if you let everyone walk all over you? 

For many people, selfishness and self-preservation would seem to be logical approaches to getting ahead and staying there. But to Christ-followers viewing things through the lens of the Gospel, it’s actually a recipe for disaster: “What will you gain if you own the whole world but destroy yourself?” Jesus asks. “What would you give to get back your soul?”

Jesus spent his brief ministry teaching from a servant-leadership perspective. And it’s through the Bible that we read how Believers should serve as his hands and feet until his return. Oftentimes that demands a completely new perspective from his would-be followers. Accepting Christ’s message is like a nearsighted child, who sees the world anew through a pair of glasses. At first, it can be awkward and difficult — and sometimes even intimidating. That’s because Jesus calls for total devotion rather than half-heartedness and non-committal. However, the eventual reward will one day make it all worthwhile:

"I tell you the truth," he told Peter, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

A Glimpse of Glory

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

– Mark 9:2 – 4

God’s omnipotence and perfection are consistent themes throughout the Bible. And since he’s the Creator of all things and we’re merely his limited creations, we shouldn’t think twice that he’s all-knowing and all-seeing of things past, present, and future. But on the other hand, what’s sometimes confusing is that his words and deeds so often contradict human nature:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,” God tells us through Isaiah 55:8, and “neither are your ways my ways.” Jesus — who happens to be God in the flesh — also has a viewpoint that opposes our modern, me-first generation. “To be first,” he declares, “we must be last.”

Christ’s bold assertion sheds new light on the ways we should treat our neighbors. And how much better would this world be if we took the time to adopt his servant’s attitude and put the interests of others before our own?

Jesus answers this question through his own example. First, he willingly surrendered his rightful privileges as God’s only Son. He entered the world through humble circumstances — a birth among farm animals in a filthy stable. And as he grew up, he made a common-man’s living as a carpenter. Christ could have lived in splendor as the King of Kings. But instead, he chose a nomadic lifestyle for teaching the Good News of salvation to all who would listen.

That’s quite a life-lesson — one taught by the One with a humble servant’s heart. And although he had just three years to save the world, he still made time in his busy schedule to touch the lives of society’s outcasts. It was this same Jesus who healed the sick, fed the hungry, and trained disciples on the way of truth. There’s good reason he’s called God with Us:

"When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented,” the apostle Peter declares through his second New Testament book, “but we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes."

 It was an astounding glimpse of glory that we too will one day experience face-to-face.